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Taste: Grapevine Vintage Café, Picacho Peak Brewing join forces

LAS CRUCES, NM — Picacho Peak Brewing Company, 3900 W. Picacho Ave., is the newest addition to the microbrewery scene in Las Cruces. Open since early November, the brewery has been serving up unique beers and in an intimate atmosphere. Picacho Peak Brewing Co.

Picacho Peak Brewing Company, 3900 W. Picacho Ave., is the newest addition to the microbrewery scene in Las Cruces. Open since early November, the brewery has been serving up unique beers and in an intimate atmosphere. Picacho Peak Brewing Co. is located in the Grapevine Plaza. Next door to the bar is the Grapevine Vintage Café, which provides pub food to the patrons of Picacho Peak.

Picacho Peak Brewing Co. has six beers on tap and a selection of wine from Luna Rossa Winery. At breweries, it’s always best to sample the beer before getting a glass or pint. Picacho Peak Brewing has 4 oz. tasters for $2.50 and beer flights as well. The flights either come with four tasters ($8) or with five ($10).

There are several beers on tap at Picacho Peak Brewing. For lighter beer, try the Dirty Blonde or the Angelic Amber. For a full-body beer the try Peak IPA and Rojo Grande. If you like your beer dark, the Smooth n’ Stout and Javelina Black IPA are for you.

My fiancé and I both got a glass of Rojo Grande. The red ale is a medium-body beer with toasted flavor. The beer is smooth with a malty finish.

The menu from the Grapevine Vintage Café includes starters of chips and salsa ($3-$5), chips and queso ($4.50-8.50), queso fries ($3.50) and a cheese quesadilla ($4.50, with chicken for $6.50). There is a lettuce mix salad with cranberries, pecans, carrots and feta cheese ($4 for a small or $8 for a large) with dressing choices of Ranch, Italian, Caesar or Raspberry Vinaigrette.

My fiancé and I ordered the chips and queso ($6.50 medium). The queso was creamy and thick. It had a balanced spice from the chile as well. The chips were lightly seasoned with salt and faint Cajun like spice.

There are also weekly specials on the menu: Monday is Italian food, Tuesday is Mexican food, Thursday is meatball sub sandwiches, Friday is a steak special and it’s the Chef’s Choice on Saturday.

Panini was the Monday special when I visited. There were three choices for the Panini; meatball, turkey and pastrami, or vegetarian. There were two side choices: French fries or pasta salad.

(Photo: Sylvia Quintanilla)

My fiancé ordered the meatball Panini with the pasta salad ($8). Beautiful grill marks topped the Panini; gooey cheese was melted on the sides. The meatballs had a hint of spicy sausage. In addition, the marinara sauce had a lot of flavor that added to the meal. It balanced out the cheese and meatballs with its freshness.

For the side, the pasta salad had different ingredients. There was broccoli, chopped carrots and black olives and red and yellow bell peppers. Coating the noodles was a light salad dressing. The vegetables added a crunch to the salad and a pop of color.

I ordered the grilled chicken sandwich ($6.50 or $7.50 with French fries). Two medium chicken breast made up the sandwich. They were grilled, juicy and filling. Tomato, lettuce, onions and pickle slices were on the side along with mustard, mayonnaise and ketchup. The side of crispy, unsalted French fries was a nice finish to the meal.